The grassroots non-profit organization establishes headquarters to better serve recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 2, 2021
On Angels’ Wings
MacKenzie Karlson, PR Coordinator
[email protected]
Michelle Cramer, Executive Director
[email protected]
417-834-3670
Springfield, Missouri: On Angels’ Wings (OAW), a Missouri non-profit, is pleased to announce it will be hosting an Open House for its first ever location at 1440 East Lark Street on December 8, 2021, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. This come-and-go event is open to the community. Refreshments and attendee gifts will be provided as patrons tour the office, meet board members and learn more about the organization.
The Open House event is sponsored by Air Services and Hold Fast Brewery, along with several other donors helping to create fun attendee gift bags. “Part of our mission is to give back to our community,” says Rachel Fears, marketing executive for Air Services Heating & Cooling. “The services On Angels’ Wings provides hits particularly close to home because one of our technicians has a medically fragile child and OAW has helped him and his family along their journey. We believe and support OAW and look forward to aiding in it’s mission to help families in our community.”
OAW’s brand new location, officially opened in September, will function as a headquarters in support of continued growth and the betterment of services provided to recipient families in Springfield and all service communities. This milestone is a major move for OAW’s mission: Seeking to improve the mental health and wellness of families with medically fragile children (regardless of race, ethnicity, class status or orientation) through therapeutic photography and grief recovery services, free of charge.
“Through hard work and continued dedication to our mission over the past 8 years, it was clear that the next step was to provide a facility to serve recipients in our founding city of Springfield,” says Michelle L. Cramer, founder and executive director for OAW. “This location provides a meeting space for our grief recovery groups and smaller events. Additionally, there are two studios available within the facility to amplify the safe options available to volunteer photographers when providing one of our free sessions to the families we serve. Many of our recipient children who are continuing to fight their diagnosis must take extra precautions, especially in this post-pandemic world. This studio space gives them one such option.”
This news comes in the wake of recent initiatives and accomplishments of the organization, including:
- The certification of Mrs. Cramer and OAW’s support coordinator, Michelle Slavens, as Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialists through the Grief Recovery Institute (griefrecoverymethod.com) in order to provide dedicated grief recovery services to OAW recipients.
- OAW’s newly formed alliance with Lost & Found Grief Center to further expand grief recovery services to the Springfield community.
- The award of a generous grant in the amount of $9,500 from Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks, earmarked to maintain the SNAP Project (Supporting our Network of Area Photographers), providing for the growth, mentorship and incentivizing of OAW’s volunteer photographer pool.
“We’d like to congratulate On Angels’ Wings on the new office space! The staff at Lost & Found Grief Center is happy to hear of the continued growth and goodwill of this special mission,” says Mike Woody, Executive Director of Lost & Found. “Our belief is that local organizations engaged in assisting families at the most difficult time in their lives should be aligned with each other in collaboration and support. In this spirit of collaboration, we look forward to walking alongside On Angels’ Wings for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day on Oct 15, 2022.”
“Hospice Foundation is extremely honored to be a part of the outreach and impact of On Angels’ Wings,” says Kim Morelock, Executive Director for Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. “We at HFO believe that the end of life deserves as much beauty, care and respect as the beginning. This amazing team of photographers provides a unique experience: Their photos capture stories through precious images that truly celebrate life and encourage hope for medically fragile children and their families. This team goes where some angels fear to tread, providing memories and support to those on a journey of challenge and celebration and to those who know the immense pain of child loss. We are excited to see that OAW now has a physical location to better serve our community.”
To learn more about the Open House event for On Angels’ Wings, and the services the organization provides to our community, visit oawphoto.org.
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On Angels’ Wings is a Missouri non-profit organization that seeks to improve the mental health and wellness of families with medically fragile children (regardless of race, ethnicity, class status or orientation) through therapeutic photography and grief recovery services, free of charge.
Lost & Found Grief Center is a Missouri non-profit organization that provides a full range of grief support for ages four and older. As a comprehensive grief center, it strives to use grief expertise to support those who are grieving and educate the community on how they can support those around them who have experienced the death of a loved one. With 20 years of experience in supporting grieving families, Lost & Found Grief Center cares for each child, family, young adult, and adult with personalized attention to ensure the correct program is selected for those needing support. The organization offers therapeutic grief support groups and workshops at no cost to those who attend. This is possible because of our generous donors and community who recognize the difficult work of grief.
lostandfoundozarks.com
Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks is a Missouri non-profit organization that awards grants to organizations which are involved in end-of-life services and education. The Foundation supports hospice, palliative care, advance directives, grief and bereavement services, educational programs and other activities which nurture informed personal choices and respect for diverse cultural identities in the end-of-life experience.
hospiceozarks.org